WATCH: Evan Roquemore Talks About Being WCC Player of the Week
After being selected to the 76 Classic Five-Man All-Tournament team and leading the West Coast Conference in points and assists per game and free throw percentage, Santa Clara guard Evan Roquemore has been named the WCC Player of the Week. He also shot 95.7 percent from the free throw line at the Classic, hitting 22 of 23 and is No. 9 in the country this season. It is a first-time honor for the sophomore from Henderson, Nev.
He was also named the College Sports Madness WCC Player of the Week as well.
"This is certainly a hard-earned and well-deserved honor for Evan, and I'm sure he'll be the first to credit the team for the recent success in helping him achieve the honor," said Bronco head coach Kerry Keating.
Roquemore led the Broncos to victories over New Mexico and Villanova this past weekend, and a third-place finish at the 76 Classic in Anaheim. In the 79-76 overtime win over pre-tournament favorite New Mexico in the opener, Roquemore poured in 26 points. Against Oklahoma, Roquemore posted a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists. He poured in 15 points and dished out nine assists in the 65-64 comeback win over Villanova. Santa Clara finished the final 2:56 minutes of the game on a 10-0 run to defeat the Wildcats with Roquemore hitting four clutch free throws with less than 10 seconds left to clinch the win over the Big East school.
For the tournament, the sophomore averaged 22.7 points and 8 assists per contest, shooting 52% from the floor. His 24 total assists are a new 76 Classic tournament record.
"It's an honor to be named Player of the Week with all the great talent in this league and it's getting even better," said Roquemore, who was named to the WCC All-Freshman team last year. "My teammates did a really good job of helping me out to win this award. They knocked down open shots and they helped me succeed. The coaches also helped me by having faith in me and also being there to help me put up extra shots and film."
Roquemore and Kevin Foster are tied for the WCC-lead with 17.0 ppg (Robert Sacre of Gonzaga is also averaging 17 ppg). Foster is No. 12 in the country in threes made and Roquemore is No. 19. Roquemore leads the WCC with 6.33 apg and is shooting 96.0 percent from the free throw line, hitting 24 of 25 attempts this season, also tops in the WCC. He is No. 9 in the country in free throw percentage and 19 in the country in apg. Santa Clara leads the WCC in free throw percentage (.748) and three pointers made with 10.5.
Santa Clara finished the 76 Classic with a 2-1 record and are 4-2 overall, hosting Cal State Northridge on Sat., Dec. 3 at 7 pm.